Second-Half Onslaught Nets Rayo OKC 3-1 Win Over Ottawa

Rayo OKC defeated Ottawa Fury FC, 3-1, at Miller Stadium on Sunday night, joining Minnesota United at the front of the pack in the NASL postseason race. With just two games left on the schedule and only one spot in The Championship left, Rayo and Minnesota each have 41 points – three more than fellow postseason hopefuls Tampa Bay and Fort Lauderdale.

Rayo had to overcome some early adversity in Sunday’s win over visiting Ottawa. Forward Giuseppe Gentile put Fury FC up after 28 minutes, heading home midfielder Carl Haworth’s cross from point-blank range. Just eight minutes later, Rayo was level thanks to a miscue from Ottawa goalkeeper Romuald Peiser. The French veteran spilled the ball to Rayo defender Futty Danso, who squared a pass to Michel for an easy finish.

Going into the second half, Rayo knew that it needed a victory to stay squarely in the hunt for the league’s final postseason berth. The team responded accordingly, and it was Turks and Caicos international Billy Forbes who put the hosts ahead. The speedy forward ran onto a long ball from midfielder Yuma and blasted a shot past Peiser to make it 2-1 in the 61st minute.

After several excellent stops by Peiser to keep the Rayo advantage to one, Michel found the back of the net again in the 84th minute. Forbes turned provider on the play, cutting it back for the veteran midfielder, who buried his 14th goal of the season.

Rayo will visit the Fort Lauderdale Strikers on Saturday – a matchup that is shaping up to be a “win or go home” type encounter.